Targeted Support for Spider & Varicose Veins, Invite Health Podcast, Episode 664
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TARGETED SUPPORT FOR SPIDER & VARICOSE VEINS, INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 664
Hosted by Amanda Williams, MD, MPH.
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InViteⓇ Health Podcast: [00:00:04] Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed health care professionals are excited to offer you the most important health and wellness information you need to make informed choices about your health. You can learn more about the products discussed in each of these episodes and all that Invite Health has to offer at www.invitehealth.com/podcast. First time customers can use promo code podcast at checkout for an additional 15% off your first purchase. Let’s get started. † [00:00:34]
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Amanda Williams MD, MPH: [00:00:40] When thinking of the circulatory system, many times we focus solely on our beating heart, which of course is very, very important. But when it comes to circulation and when it comes to overall vascular health, we can’t overlook what’s actually occurring in our extremities and nothing sticks out more than unsightly veins that you can see in your legs, so today I want to zero in on talking about varicose veins and spider veins. What does that actually mean for your overall health and what can we do to address these concerns? So, I am Dr. Amanda Williams, scientific director at Invite Health, and everyone has that fear of having varicose veins. Not only are they unsightly, but they can be incredibly painful. And statistically speaking, we know that this is a very common issue that many Americans experience when you look at the overall stats within this country, it’s estimated that over 40 million Americans suffer from varicose veins, and generally speaking, there is a family history of this. So, we know that there’s some genetic underpinnings to this vascular degradation that is occurring. There was a real interesting study that was done over in Scotland where they assessed the vascular health in over 1500 individuals of men and women, and they found an occurrence rate for varicose and spider veins and over 80% of those individuals. So, we definitely know that there are some genetic underpinnings to this. We know that there are other issues that can lead to a greater risk of the development of both spider veins as well as varicose veins, including being overweight and not getting adequate nutrients in your diet that help to maintain the vascular integrity. That’s an area that I think is so commonly overlooked. Understanding the importance of collagen and vitamin C and proline and lysine and of course, different herbal extracts that can help to strengthen the vessels themselves. So, we look at these stats and we say, well, we know that varicose veins, this is a disorder that’s affecting millions of Americans. We know that can be incredibly painful, we know that individuals who suffer from varicose veins oftentimes, you know, succumb to that pain and end up going in to see a vascular surgeon, to see what they can actually do in terms of treating this condition. It can create a situation where the legs feel very heavy, and they can even get incredibly swollen. This is certainly not something ideal for someone who is trying their best to perhaps lose weight. And then they become, in a sense, kind of immobilized because it’s very painful to walk. This kind of falls into that same category of chronic venous insufficiency and peripheral artery disease. We can look at all of these and kind of bundle them together. † [00:03:35]
[00:03:35] Now varicose veins, this is going to be occurring within the deeper veins. It can occur within the superficial veins as well, but it’s generally occurring deeper into that vascular system and it creates a situation where the vessels themselves are being pushed and forced to such an extreme that we get this outpouring of the vascular system, which can be incredibly painful. Now, spider veins, on the other hand, this is a little bit more superficial, we know that this as well has a very high epidemiological footprint, meaning that there are many folks throughout this world who experience spider veins, that’s going to be more superficial, something that you can clearly see through looking at the skin. It’s that blue purplish reddish color and sometimes know like, little threads. And this can occur anywhere on the face it can occur, of course, in the legs. This is one of those things, once again, where we know that there are those genetic underpinnings to this. So, at the end of the day, what can we do? What can we actually do as far as lifestyle modifications as far as dietary intake exercise, as well as supplementation? And we can see that conditions such as peripheral artery disease and chronic venous insufficiency are incredibly problematic and so if we can start to address those underlying conditions, including hypertension, we can start to get a better grip on these unsightly conditions such as spider veins, as well as with the varicose veins. So, we have, you know, the normal pooling of blood that’s going to occur and you have these valves, I would say it’s kind of like an elevator system. So, as the heart is pumping the blood out to the extremities and the blood pools down, we expect that to be able to then push or force itself back up. So, when we have issues that are occurring, hence gravity issues and we have weakening of the vasculature, this is what leads to that leg pain and that heaviness and that throbbing sensation. And for many individuals, they end up with these very unsightly conditions, looking at the spider veins, looking at the more severe form, which is going to be the varicose veins that’s the enlargement of that vein. Oftentimes can look very ropey, usually a deep blue or red color. If you have varicose veins, if you definitely know, this is something that you can see quite clearly and we know that there are many different things that we can be doing, obviously. Wearing, you know, support compression hose to help with that gravitational push is one aspect many individuals will seek out treatment through a vascular surgeon and do different laser treatments as well as scleral therapy, having different injections put into the vessels themselves. † [00:06:42]
CIRCULATION SOLUTIONS & TIPS FOR HEALTHY VESSELS, INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 646>>LISTEN NOW!
[00:06:43] But we have to treat the underlying issue, which is the loss of function or the loss of structural integrity within the vessel itself. And this is where formulations like the Veins Hx as well as the Nattokinase plus can be incredibly beneficial. Having the power of horse chestnut on board as part of your daily supplementation routine when you’re dealing with one of these circulatory problems can be incredibly helpful. We can see through the scientific research the way in which horse chestnut has been studied outside of just that for chronic venous insufficiency. We can also see how beneficial the horse chestnut extract can be when it comes to hemorrhoids, as well as when we have any type of a sprain, or a strain can help to improve heal time. So, with wound healing and this is basically what we’re dealing with, we’re dealing with a wounded vessel. So, we want to be able to heal that up and this is where that horse chestnut can really potentiate a lot of benefit. And looking at chronic venous insufficiency, we know this is very common as well. It’s estimated that roughly around 25% of women experience chronic venous insufficiency. So, hence, this is why we then look at the problems that result with spider veins as well as varicose veins. So, taking horse chestnut extract can help to substantially support the vascular integrity, helping to repair that damage that has occurred. Now, of course we want to partner this up with our collagen. So, our type one collagen along with taking vitamin C, we know vitamin C and collagen are required to go hand in hand together for the proper cross-linking of those collagen fibers. So, when we’re dealing with a vascular issue, we always want to include these things in, we want to include in collagen, we want to include in vitamin C, but we also want to expand beyond that. We want to say, well, we also know that this powerful extract, this horse chestnut extract, has been shown to really pack a substantial punch to helping to kind of reverse a lot of the damage that’s been created within the circulatory system. And then we look at the nattokinase, now nattokinase is really quite fascinating, this is derived from soy, Natto and it’s fermented, which is oftentimes what is credited towards Japanese longevity, is because of this exposure to this that helps kind of keep the vascular system flowing properly and clear of debris, which is very good. † [00:09:11]
[00:09:12] So, we know that the nattokinase once again does a lot to impress upon the way in which our endothelial cells, what lines your vessels. It allows them to have a significantly higher amount of support, which is really very important when you think about what’s occurring on that pathophysiology aspect of both spider veins as well as varicose veins. So, when people are using the Nattokinase plus and they start to see that shift in terms of the vascular support, and this is oftentimes identifiable because you visually can see this. So, say for example, you have more pronounced spider veins, you start using Nattokinase plus, which also contains serrapeptase, so it’s going in and kind of eating up any of the inflammation that may be creating further damage around that vascular system. So, we have this combo that’s helping with that repair mechanism. So, we partner the Nattokinase plus with that Veins Hx, taking our collagen and our vitamin C and it really starts to get us on this pathway to a much healthier circulatory system. Now, of course, we want to incorporate in fresh fruits and vegetables. We know the power of those antioxidants that are coming from that rainbow of color, of those wonderful foods that we should be incorporating into our routine. And we can see from multiple clinical trials that higher intake of fruits and vegetables leads to better support of the actual vascular system. So, yes, adherence to a mediterranean diet, staying active with stretching and toning techniques can also be very beneficial, especially in the setting for those who are dealing with existing varicose veins where maybe they do have that heaviness and that throbbing and pain within their legs and it’s difficult to exercise. So, even starting off with some stretching and toning can help to get better blood flow and better oxygenation to that area, which will help to increase the healing time. So, these are some of the little steps that we can take as far as dietary changes, exercise, as well as taking supplements such as the Veins Hx, the Nattokinase plus, Collagen Hx, along with vitamin C, can really set the path in the right direction when it comes to overall circulatory support. So, if you want more information about these products, definitely go to our website and check those out at invitehealth.com. And I want to thank you so much for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. Remember, you can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting invitehealth.com/podcast. Now do make sure that you subscribe, and you leave us a review. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health and we will see you next time for another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. † [00:09:12]
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